It
might be useful to read about what goes on during the day here.
We’ve been asked about it a number of times before, but
it’s tough to give a short answer, and tougher to give
one without a good deal of thought.
The work day starts at roughly 6:30-6:45 (sometimes earlier; depending on bad weather and/or how many overnighters there are to feed breakfast). First thing, all overnighters are let outdoors to go to the bathroom. Then breakfast is served one dog at a time (or all the dogs from one household at once) so that food and any medications aren't co-mingled. If we have cats staying with us, they are also fed, their litter box is cleaned, and their water refreshed. In the midst of this, the open air beds (a mix of human toddler beds, doggie camping cots) have their thick, cozy blankets pulled up and stored for the day to keep them from getting dirty and hairy over the course of the daylight hours. At 7:00 we open the office up. From that point, it's time for morning intake of day care dogs and boarders while trying to keep up with refreshing the drinking water and scooping up in the yard.
Speaking of scooping: It’s pretty much an all-day affair.
You can’t leave colonic gifts out for any length of time.
They can get trampled and tracked around, or worse, eaten.
We stay on top of this job constantly. Some days it seems,
literally, like life is poop.
Outdoor activities throughout the day include
(but aren’t limited to) leash walking, water games (in
warm weather, of course), hide-and-seek games, some sit-stay
training, and near the end of the afternoon, some coat brushing.
Of course, there are still plenty of things
to do that have nothing to do with the animals. Phone calls need
returning, emails need answering, blankets, bed sheets, bath towels
and dog dishes all need to be washed, repair projects wait in
line, the government always wants its money and its paperwork
filed, new dogs need to be evaluated, the Facebook page needs
updating regularly, the newsletter needs to be written...the list
goes on and on.
Late
in the day, roughly in the 5:30 range, it's supper time for our
overnighters. The common room gets swept and mopped, the drinking
water fountain gets cleaned and replenished one more time,
the beds get their blankets put back on, and the office closes
at 6:00. Overnighters generally are so tired they fall asleep,
and most often they are awakened when it's time for a mid-evening
visit, and later, a last bathroom trip outside, around 10:00.
The dog door leading outside is locked, the window shades are
pulled down, everyone gets one last cookie and affection, and
then it's time for "lights out." It's never totally
dark in there, though; there are two night lights, and the
TV stays on at very low volume (either Animal Planet or History
Channel). (Note: There's
an unwritten rule here at Kamp K9: "No one ever sleeps alone."
If there are only one or two boarders, they sleep up in the
house with our family.)
This really isn't a complete description,
and every day is a little different, but hopefully you now have
a general idea of what happens every day here at Kamp K9!
The work day starts at roughly 6:30-6:45 (sometimes earlier; depending on bad weather and/or how many overnighters there are to feed breakfast). First thing, all overnighters are let outdoors to go to the bathroom. Then breakfast is served one dog at a time (or all the dogs from one household at once) so that food and any medications aren't co-mingled. If we have cats staying with us, they are also fed, their litter box is cleaned, and their water refreshed. In the midst of this, the open air beds (a mix of human toddler beds, doggie camping cots) have their thick, cozy blankets pulled up and stored for the day to keep them from getting dirty and hairy over the course of the daylight hours. At 7:00 we open the office up. From that point, it's time for morning intake of day care dogs and boarders while trying to keep up with refreshing the drinking water and scooping up in the yard. 
Late
in the day, roughly in the 5:30 range, it's supper time for our
overnighters. The common room gets swept and mopped, the drinking
water fountain gets cleaned and replenished one more time,
the beds get their blankets put back on, and the office closes
at 6:00. Overnighters generally are so tired they fall asleep,
and most often they are awakened when it's time for a mid-evening
visit, and later, a last bathroom trip outside, around 10:00.
The dog door leading outside is locked, the window shades are
pulled down, everyone gets one last cookie and affection, and
then it's time for "lights out." It's never totally
dark in there, though; there are two night lights, and the
TV stays on at very low volume (either Animal Planet or History
Channel). (Note: There's
an unwritten rule here at Kamp K9: "No one ever sleeps alone."
If there are only one or two boarders, they sleep up in the
house with our family.)
This really isn't a complete description,
and every day is a little different, but hopefully you now have
a general idea of what happens every day here at Kamp K9!